Jazz with Jeff Duperon

Friday, 6 to 10 pm

Jazz has continuously evolved over the years. However, there are some tried and true standards of the genre that will not be compromised. Case in point: a collective known as The Cookers (Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart, George Cables, Donald Harrison and David Weiss) have staked their claim as the best reminder that jazz requires an active listener.

Ring in 2015 with a celebration of the wonderful jazz that 2014 brought to you throughout the year. The Top 100 Jazz Songs of 2014 will kick off at 9 pm on Sunday, December 28th, and we'll reach No. 1 right as the ball drops. Last year, Cecile McLorin Salvant took first place in this listener-generated list. Who will it be this year? Make sure you tune in on New Year's Eve to find out. End the year on a high note by taking a jazz journey through 2014.

Daniel T. Peterson’s passion for music began early, but it took a long and winding path before it manifested as his career.

As a young child, Peterson exhibited some talent - singing shyly from the backseat of the car, but mostly engaged with music as a fan. His father’s extensive record collection captivated him, and Peterson spent much of his young life digging through a veritable treasure trove of albums where he was exposed to everything from Miles Davis to Jimi Hendrix.

On Monday, December 15th, WRTI will begin to drizzle a bit of the holidays into our regular smorgasbord of jazz delights. There are exciting, new festive winter releases from the likes of Irvin Mayfield and the Jazz Playhouse Review, David Ian, and the top-notch performers from Mack Avenue Records.

You'll also hear the Yuletide classics you expect from WRTI - selections from Stan Kenton, Jimmy Smith and Ella Fitzgerald - all mixed in with regular jazz programming. Join as us we set the mood for holiday tables and fireplace gatherings.

As a cultural institution, the Blue Note in NYC's Greenwich Village is surprisingly small. It’s a long, shotgun room with a snug stage set midway down against the left wall - the jazz club’s glowing blue neon logo centered as a backdrop. Tables line up front in tight formation and fan out to the left and right with as many patrons squeezed into place as the room can hold.

Since it's always about the music, there’s a collective understanding why you’re there. And last February, it was all about the man of the hour—the one and only, bassist Ron Carter.

How does this sound? A fabulous singer, known for championing the Great American Songbook, performing with the ultra-amazing Temple University Jazz Band led by Terell Stafford - in a free concert! Vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway and the TU Jazz Band will knock your socks off on Thursday, December 4 at 7:30 pm, Temple Performing Arts Center at 1837 North Broad Street.

Henry Threadgill's music has always pushed boundaries. Two tubas with two guitars, a "sextett" with seven members, a free-improvising trio with an instrument made of hubcaps, a dance orchestra: Nothing is off the table.

New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent are a diverse group. Some were born in Puerto Rico, some have never set foot on the island, and everyone else falls somewhere between.

But they do share a special identity, calling themselves "Nuyoricans." And when you look over the long list of notable Nuyoricans — everyone from Supreme Court Justice Sandra Sotomayor to Jennifer Lopez — it's kind of amazing how much they've contributed to American culture.

Last weekend, at a sold-out, star-studded gala concert in Hollywood, Pharrell Williams and Herbie Hancock remixed Williams' hit "Happy," Kevin Spacey served up a compelling Frank Sinatra imitation singing "Fly Me To The Moon" and former President Bill Clinton offered a heartfelt reminiscence about his early days as a John Coltrane wannabe. ("Sometimes frustrated jazz musicians end up in another line of work and it ends up pretty good," he joked.) The opener was a jazz concert: Three virtuosic young trumpet players — Adam O'Farrill, Billy Buss and Marquis Hill — deftly negotiated standards.